Pottsville senior signs letter of intentPOTTSVILLE — Callie Cox signed a National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II letter of intent to play basketball for North Arkansas College in Harrison on Friday in front of the Apaches student body inside George Jones Gymnasium. Originally committed to Missouri Baptist, the senior said she never felt quite confident in that decision. When North Arkansas College offered her a full scholarship, she took it. “I just felt lik...

Errors doom Sand LizardsDARDANELLE — The Sand Lizards were guilty of 22 errors and were struck out 18 times during their 10-3 loss to the Booneville Bearcats on Friday at Merritt Park. Dardanelle (8-9, 3-2 4A-4 Conference) didn’t get a hit off the Booneville Bearcats until the bottom of the third when Ethan Farnam smashed one to right field and raced to second base. Prior to that, eight Sand Lizards had struck out in eight at-bats. Dardanelle loaded the bases twice i...

Dardanelle baseball’s ‘heart and soul’DARDANELLE — It takes a lot to build a successful baseball club. One might think of it like a human body. There’s the coaching staff, which is like the brain, firing neurons that control the other body parts. Then, there is the muscle, which carries out the orders with speed and efficiency. Finally, there is the heart, which keeps the whole machine running. For the Dardanelle Sand Lizards that heart is Jonathan Wear. “He’s the heart and soul o...

ATU alum to host charity weekendRussellville High School’s Cyclone Gymnasium is no stranger to big basketball games, but Saturday’s games will tip off for more than athletic conquest. The T-Smooth Scholarship Project (TSPF) will host its sixth annual Celebrity Charity Weekend to raise money for students who wish to further their education. T-Smooth, a professional radio personality for Power 92 Jams (KIPR 92.3 FM, Little Rock) and host of the Quiet Storm, said the idea start...

Lady Devils win 3 in 3A-4ATKINS — The Lady Red Devils won three 3A-4 Conference softball games Monday and Tuesday, including a doubleheader over Lamar and a 4-0 shutout over Paris. On Monday, Alex Webb recorded six strikeouts in five innings and gave up one hit, one walk and one hit by a pitch in Atkins’ 4-0 win. Jordan Wilson pitched two innings, as the Lady Red Devils committed five errors. Offensively, Wilson was 2-for-3 with one run scored. Kaylen Martin was 1-for...

Cyclones shut out GreenwoodThe Russellville Cyclones shut out the Greenwood Bulldogs 2-0 Tuesday night at Cyclone Stadium. “It was one of those nights where you wish you scored more,” Russellville head coach Jared Fuller said. “But we played the game the way it’s meant to be played. I’ll never complain about two goals and a shutout.” Russellville scored both goals before the lightning delay. The first came from Osvaldo Caballero, who put the ball in the net with an assi...

Sports Briefs (April 9, 2013)Dover peewee football registration Friday The Dover youth football and cheerleading programs will host registration for the 2013 season from 6-8 p.m. Friday at the Old Gym on the Dover school campus. Other registration dates are April 13 and April 20 from 10 a.m. until noon. Sign-ups are open to children in Dover schools going into grades 4-6. Participates also must not turn 13 before Nov. 10. New players must submit a copy of birth certificat...

RHS continues on the right trackThe Cyclones track team isn’t as strong as it has been in the past, according to Russellville track head coach Charlie Goodman. The defending state champion Cyclones placed 16th of 22 teams in the Cyclone Relays held Friday at Cyclone Stadium, and the Lady Cyclones placed 13th of 20 teams. “We’re not as strong as we’ve been in the last two years,” he said. “We’re not nearly as strong, so we’re just trying to get better everyday and show improv...

Cyclones tame GreenwoodThe last time the Russellville Lady Cyclones faced the Greenwood Bulldogs, they lost 11-2, but that was without their star pitcher, Andrea Kindrick. “It was a whole different animal today,” Russellville head coach Harley Sisson said after the game. The Lady Cyclones (10-5, 5-2 6A/7A-Central Conference) defeated the Bulldogs 4-0 in seven innings as Kindrick tossed the shutout.. After holding only a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game, Russell...

Apaches survive Sand Lizards 10-9DARDANELLE — The Pottsville Apaches survived a 10-9 game at Merritt Field for the second annual “Boot” game against the Dardanelle Sand Lizards. The rivalry game opened amid festivities designed to raise money for the Boot Campaign, an organization that helps raise money for soldiers returning from service with mental and emotional injuries. Both teams dawned combat boots for warmups, and the coaches for both teams wore the boots throughout th...

Rumble on the River approachesSometimes athletics is about more than scoreboards. Such is the case for the Rumble on the River softball tournament that will hit Russellville at 6 p.m. Friday. The tournament, which saw 60 teams compete last year, is an effort to raise money for Field of Angels. “Last year, I think we funded the whole league with what we gave them.” Kevin Van Es said. “We’re just giving back.” Field of Angels is an organization that strives to conduct, promo...

The Courier’s 2013 Tri-County teamThe 2012-13 Basketball season has been quite a ride. We’ve seen state champions and we’ve seen teams scrape the bottom of their conferences in the Arkansas River Valley. Yet, even on the teams that didn’t fare so well, there have been stand-out performances, victories and triumphs. The Courier’s 2013 Tri-County Team is a dream team of sorts — a collection of the best from all around Pope, Johnson and Yell counties. Imagine coaching this group ...

Cyclones sweep LR HallThe Russellville Cyclones made it a long day for the Little Rock Hall Warriors during Friday’s 6A/7A-Central Conference baseball game. The Cyclones (7-6, 3-3) dominated the Warriors (0-7, 0-4) from the opening pitch until the final out at Hickey Park. The Cyclones set the tone for the evening with a 13-1 win in five innings during the first game. “No matter who you’re playing, you need to play like it’s the last game you’ll ever play,” Russell...

Cyclones face three games in two daysSometimes, in the 6A/7A-Central Conference, it’s not how many you beat — it’s which teams you beat. The Russellville Cyclones are sitting at 6-6 overall in their baseball regular season and 2-3 in league, but head coach Matt Long said the Cyclones are right where he’d like them to be, for now. “Of course I’d like a few more wins,” he admitted. “But record wise, we’re sitting pretty good. After 12 games, we’ve won six, and of those losses there...

Lizards, Apaches prepare for charity clashDARDANELLE — The last time the Dardanelle Sand Lizards faced the Pottsville Apaches in 4A-4 Conference baseball, the Apaches came away with a 7-1 victory. When they face off again on Saturday during their annual “Boot” game, both teams expect a much more competitive brawl. “Our guys are definitely ready to play,” Sand Lizards head coach Will McCrotty said. “We don’t take losing really well. When someone beats us like that and we’ve got another...

Russellville football to play role in upcoming inspirational filmThe Russellville Cyclones football team will take center stage on April 26 when they step into the role of a 1980s football team on the brink of a state championship in the upcoming film “Cowboys and Jesus”. A modern retelling of the biblical prodigal son, Cowboys and Jesus was written by Otto Thorwarth and Bo Bullock. Thorwarth, who played horse jockey Ronnie Turcotte in Disney’s 2010 movie, Secretariat said he and Bullock co-wrote the origin...

Cyclones take five to rout PatriotsThe Russellville Cyclones needed just five innings to beat the Little Rock Parkview Patriots 11-1 in 7A/6A-Central Conference baseball on Monday at M.J. Hickey Park. Austin Robinson was the winning pitcher for Russellville (6-6 overall, 2-3 league) and improved to 2-1 this season. He threw four innings, struck out six, walked six, allowed one hit and gave up one unearned run. Tyler Allen relieved Robinson in the fifth and allowed one hit and e...

National Guard to sponsor Cyclone RelaysAccording the Russellville High School head track coach Charlie Goodman, this year’s 58th annual Cyclone Relays on Friday at Cyclone Stadium looks to be bigger and better than ever before, due the Arkansas National Guard’s contributions to this year’s event. “They’re donating a significant amount of money,” Goodman explained. “That’s going to allow us to have a bigger meet. As of right now, we’ve got 25 guy teams and 25 girl teams. That’s a bi...